amandapoldark:

I originally posted this analysis on Facebook since it’s not Poldark Costuming Project related, but I think it’s something people on Tumblr could like, so here it is. There’s some vague Spoilers but moreso for the books: 

A lot of the people who criticize Sam Carne as a “annoying evangelist” are missing the point in ALL versions of the story. Our modern ideas about religion and atheism really need to be set aside to understand what Winston Graham was doing here. The new season’s changes so far have kept Sam’s character as a man of deep faith. Graham was setting up another one of his parallel plot with Sam Carne. He is to church corruption and inequality is what Ross is to political/economic corruption.

The Anglican Church at this time in history was a dumping ground for the second and third sons of the gentry who couldn’t inherit the estate. You had to have education in order to even be CONSIDERED for a position in the Church. And church vacancies were purchased from politicians. A devout man without the means for paying for training was already out of contention. Remember, there’s no such thing as free education or scholarships for poor students with merit. The result of this system was that it echoed political corruption. These men didn’t have true religious devotion. For every Canon Sidney Chambers (yes this is a Grantchester reference) and Reverend Odgers who took their faith and their jobs at least somewhat seriously, there were 25 Reverend Whitworth’s. The Church gave them prestige, paycheck and free rent. Although Whitworth is an extreme, there were very many hypocrites like him. And the church pews were filled with people like George Warleggan, who is clearly too greedy as hell to be a good “Christian”. These Church leaders treated the poor with contempt and didn’t attempt to build community and faith. Many were committing a wide varsity of sins undercover and yet going to the pulpit every Sunday. 

The Methodist movement rejected Anglican hierarchy and focused on one’s relationship with God. Preachers consisted of ordinary people like Sam Carne who truly tried to live life according to the Bible. The Methodist message of equality of faith regardless of income level was highly appealing to the miners. Yes there was an emphasis on evangelism, but the bigger point is that the Methodists weren’t treating the poor one way and the rich another. No one was getting rich off having a Methodist leadership position. The people in charge were working for their fellow man and not out for worldly profit. The movement had a huge impact on the history of Cornwall, which Sam Carne represents. 

Although the new series has switched the timeline of events, Ross’ transition from being a rebel against the system to to a political figure who wants reform is quite similar to Sam’s situation. The magistrate position he turned down in the last episode was used to abuse the poor. Magistrates often gave the poor very harsh sentences for minor offenses or sentences of transportation of the colonies. Jim Carter all the way back in Season 1 is a great example of this. He was essentially jailed because he stole a food item for people who were going hungry. The justice system essentially blamed the poor for poverty or the results of poverty. Ross on the other hand most likely got off on his charges because he was a man of importance. There were also cases of rich people bribing judges for favorable outcomes. The members of Parliament at the time only represented the rich landlords since the common people couldn’t vote. Many people brought their seats or rigged elections. Think back to Unwin Trevaunance’s election in Season 2. For the book readers, you can also think about what George does to pursue more political power. The French Revolution and the growing abolitionist movement highlighted the massive gap between the haves and the have nots in England. Just as how the Anglican Church treated people unequally based on how much cash they had, the government did the same. 

There will be more developments this season with Sam Carne, but I do expect that we will see him as more than a “bible thumper”. He’s staging a rebellion against classism in religion and hypocrisy. 

As someone who grew up and still is Methodist, ^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^

My only beef with the writers is that they don’t emphasize enough of John Wesley’s teachings on GRACE with Sam’s character. It’s hinted at, but I do think the writers also want to poke fun at “religious strictness” with him. Still, I appreciate that they haven’t turned him into a complete caricature; it just would be nice if they consulted a theologian on their writing staff as I’m sure they consult historians